1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system and a method for recording and/or reproducing videos of broadcasting programs or the like sent on the air from broadcasting stations, and in particular, to a recording/reproducing system, which permits the automated video recording and recording schedule reservation.
More specifically, the present invention is concerned with a recording/reproducing system and its method, which may support the reproduction and watching operations of a large number of automatically recorded videos, and in particular, to a recording/reproducing system, which permits the facilitation of selection and management of recorded videos in the manner of following the operations of general AV equipment such as televisions and video decks.
2. Description of the Related Art
The development of digital techniques is making it possible to store a mass of AV data composed of video data and audio data without degradation. Recently, as HDD having a capacity of several ten GB or more is available at relatively low cost, HDD-based recorders are coming on to the market as well (Refer to reports of “Apparatuses to record television programs into HDD are coming out one after another (by Nikkei Electronics, No. 727, pp. 27 to 28, 1998) and “HDD-based digital recording techniques for domestic use come out at last” (by Nikkei Electronics No. 727, pp. 41 to 46, 1998)). With the increasing capacity of recording media, recording of more programs is made possible in a program recording/reproducing apparatus.
The HDD is a device, which is random-accessible to data recorded therein. Thus, the HDD may start reproduction directly from a user's favorite program without the need for reproducing the recorded programs from the top in sequence, dissimilarly to conventional reproduction of recorded contents in video tapes.
However, the more the number of recorded programs increases with the increasing capacity of the recording media, the more difficult it becomes to select a desired program to reproduce. In particular, a system configured to permit program recording and recording schedule reservation automatically on the basis of user's tastes and profile information shows a tendency to record programs more than the need, for a purpose of preventing a user from being disappointed with insufficient recording. For that reason, an excessive workload is required more and more for the user to select the desired program to reproduce.
In the environment of the above recording/reproducing system when in use, the permissible amount of time for the user to practically watch videos recorded is considered to be negligible as compared with the total amount of time of the videos recorded. However, any effective technique or remedy to bridge a gap therebetween has not been developed yet.
For instance, there is provided a method of displaying a list of names, channels and broadcasting dates or the like of recorded programs on a screen. However, it doesn't always follow that the user may grasp the program contents through such a display screen. Further, an attempt to display detailed information of each program also on the above display screen brings about a complication of images displayed on the screen, so that it becomes extremely difficult for the user to view the images on the screen.
A viewer, that is, the user does not always watch a specific television program on the air carefully. That is, the user generally assumes the style of watching television programs in such a way as to watch television for no purpose or as it happened that television is on. On the other hand, an action required for the user to watch one's desired recorded program after passing judgment one after another on which is the recorded program desired to watch is not fitted for the latter watching style. In other words, the above action permits no bridging of the gap between the total amount of time of videos recorded and the permissible amount of time for the user to practically watch the videos recorded.
Most users also have an inclination to fall into such a state of mind as attaining one's feeling of achievement or security with satisfaction of seeing recording of a specific broadcasting program finished, leading to one of causes that the users may not go so far as to bring watching of the recorded program into practice. For that reason, most recorded programs are apt to remain simply recorded, that is, be kept idle without a chance to be reproduced.
While the recording/reproducing system configured to permit the automation of recording and recording schedule reservation of broadcasting programs on the basis of the user's tastes and profile information has been available in the prior art, manual operations are required for the user oneself for reproduction and judgment on deletion or preservation of each recorded program, inclusively of their operations. There is also the need for individual display of a recording timetable, a list of recorded programs or the like, inclusively of its operation, every kind of information or operation, so that operational mistakes easily happen also in proportion as the work is complicated. To begin with, the operations in the recording/reproducing system described the above are incompatible with the passive watching style of the user in such a way as to view (or watch) on-the-air programs on television for no purpose.
If the user has no intention of watching the recorded programs, it means that storage of programs remaining simply recorded without being reproduced occurs so much. Consequently, as the recording capacity is approaching its limit, the user has to delete at least a part of recorded programs regardless of whether or not the user finished watching a target program for deletion. For instance, a function of a type which permits the automatic deletion of time-expired programs by means of setting the term of validity for preservation of programs has been available until now. However, much time is required for the user to set the term of validity serially every recorded program, and besides, it is difficult to set the appropriate term of validity. On the other hand, in the recording/reproducing system configured to set the term of validity, videos inclusive of important videos are in danger of deletion in user's unguarded moment and so on, so that it is extremely difficult to permit the above function to reflect on management of preservation of recorded videos while grasping the user's intention accurately. Accordingly, a function which permits the efficient deletion of only unnecessary videos from a mass of automatically stored recorded videos is in great demand. To select target programs for deletion from a large number of recorded programs is considered to be indivisible from, that is, essentially the same as to select which program to watch.
On the other hand, in a recording/reproducing system of sequential access mode such as video tapes, even if the user gives a pause to a certain recorded program in the process of watching, disconnection of power or switching to other recorded programs to watch brings about a loss of information of a recorded program pause position. Thus, if the user desires to resume reproduction for watching from the last paused point, has the user stores a counter value for rewind operations or the like.
When a list of recorded programs is displayed on the screen in the recording date order, the user has to bring displaying of the list of recorded programs on the screen once into practice before selection of the desired program to reproduce. For that reason, if there is an interval of broadcasting/recording date between programs even having continuity like a series of programs inclusive of a serial drama or the like, when recorded, the complicated work is required for the user to watch such the programs in due order.